Tuesday's Two: Great News - Jess And The Bandits

Great News - Secrets.

Background promo - Hailing from the same hometown as pop prodigy Aurora, with the psychedelic swagger of Sweden’s YAST, Great News spread waves of hazy pop/rock with innate Nordic nous.

Acid-drenched ‘Secrets’ follows back-to-back singles 'Love Her’ and ‘Diamonds’; preceded by nonchalant debut cut ‘The Blind’ – an effort applauded in native Norway, resulting in a legendary sold out debut concert in one of Bergen's most popular music venues and landing the band in multiple “Ones To Watch 2016” lists.

“Secrets is about the feeling you get when you can’t get what you want, and being unable to tell anyone about it,” explains vocalist and guitarist Even Kjelby. “Sometimes it’s just really unfair. It builds up inside, and it becomes a part of you. A young, naive mind being coloured by different events, good or bad,” he says.

Great News – also consisting Ole Einarsen (bass) and Lars Platou (drums) – formed on a kindred whim of playing as many gigs as possible, “cause that's what they love”; most recently, sharing the stage with Unknown Mortal Orchestra.  The band is currently working on their debut album, which is slated for release Autumn 2016.

'Secrets' cascades from my speakers with a dreamy distant feel. I say cascade because that's the impression I get when the synth's magically add to what is, a really enjoyable, hook laden song.

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Jess And The Bandits - Kiss You Now.

Background promo - After a hugely successful 2015 on both sides of the Atlantic, Jess And The Bandits are ready to get the party started in 2016.

Having completed a number of tours and festivals, wowing the crowds from LA to London, and with their debut album Here We Go Again having reached number 6 on the official country charts, Jess and the Bandits returned to the recording studio in January to work on new material for their upcoming sophomore album. However, with their second headline tour kicking off in April, the band are set to treat their fans to new material without the wait. With a deluxe edition of Here We Go Again to be released soon, to coincide with their Country2Country performance, the band will be heading up the release with the irrepressible Kiss You Now.

Kiss You Now was debuted by the band at their first show on 2016 at The Soup Kitchen in Manchester. The addictive, upbeat number proved an instant hit, with the crowd going crazy and the chorus provoking an instant sing along.

Of the release Jess Clemmons, the band’s vocalist and the face of high street fashion brand Evans, said, ‘We are thrilled to include 'Kiss You Now' on the deluxe edition of our album ‘Here We Go Again’. There are times when some of the writers we work with submit songs to us that they think will be great for Jess and the Bandits. This happened to be one of those times. Jeff Cohen, who co-wrote and produced many songs on our album, sent us ‘Kiss You Now” written by himself and Liz Longley. We immediately fell in love with it and knew we had to record it. It’s a bit of a different feel from the rest of the album but we hope that our current fans will love it as much as we do and it will be a great introduction to us for new fans as well. It’s a song about a girl taking the “bull by the horns’, as we say in Texas, and making the first move with the guy she wants. Full of fun and sass, it’s the type of song we love to perform! You even get a chance to hear Louis showing off his fantastic voice on this one!’ - Release Date: 8 April 2016.

Upcoming Performances:
11th March - Country2Country
12th March - Country2Country
27th April - Fruit, Hull
28th April – The Oobleck, Birmingham
29th April – Bush Hall, London
1st May - The Sage, Gateshead
2nd May - Electric Circus, Edinburgh
5th May – Talking Head, Southampton
7th May - Waterfront Studio, Norwich
27th May – Under The Apple Tree Festival 
17th June – FSA London 
18th June – Towerfest 
26 June – Buckle & Boots Music Festival 
29th July - Rock Ridge Round Up (Friday headline)
30th July – FSA Festival (Newark).

We featured Jess and the Bandits last year and are more than pleased to bring the forthcoming single and tour dates to your attention. There is something of a breath of fresh air about their music, it's unpretentious country vibes and good time feel, makes for another great song.

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Leap Year Delights: Kit - Reverieme

Kit - How Hard.

Background promo - Kit returns with her second single, “How Hard”, following the success of her last. “Goodbye”, released in June 2015, was spun on triple j Good Nights, 2015 with Richard Kingsmill and Home & Hosed with Dom Alessio. It featured for 2 weeks in the AMRAP charts, reaching number 3 overall, and held the number 1 spot on triple j unearthed for 3 weeks. 

“How Hard” being released this February via Marshmallow Pavement Records is a R&B-infused, pulsing track, characterised by the undeniable strength of Kate Watt’s vocals. Finding inspiration to create the song through retelling the experiences of those closest to her, Kate found catharsis of her own. 

“The track originated from a drunken night with a best mate, and her experiences of never-ending heartbreak with an on- again-off-again partner. I wanted so badly to tell her to walk away, but I could see how much she loved this person. I used the words of a poem she shared with me to fuel the song. It was almost finished, when I found myself experiencing something similar with someone close to me. You love someone so much that you can't seem to break away, even though it's destroying every part of you. I used the last part of writing to get my own pain out and in front of me. It is now so personal for me as it holds a memory of so many people I love in it.” - Kit 

Kate grew up playing in her Dad’s blues band, busking and touring from a young age. She’s gone on to play festivals like The National Blues Fest, Byron Bay Blues, and The Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, with her previous band The Blue Ruins. Kit is now eager for a run of shows to support her first two singles as a solo artist. Look for upcoming shows and the release of a music video for “How Hard” produced by Killafish Productions in early 2016. 

We featured Kit's first single back in May of last year, and remain mightily impressed. Superb vocals that interact with the music in a dynamic manner, this is powerful, punchy and emotionally strong. What an excellent lesson in how to make a follow up single.
 
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Reverieme - Venus.

Background promo - Having supported Gotye, Newton Faulkner and Emmy The Great on tour, Reverieme has already caught the attention of some of the industry’s most acclaimed artists. Reverieme aka Louis Connell hails from the quaint Scottish market town of Airdrie. Inspired by the myriad books, films and records she has devoured throughout her life, she creates captivating, haunting songs that offer an intriguing glimpse of an inquisitive mind and a unique view of the world around her.

Having absorbed the musical influence of such diverse artists as Neko Case, Of Montreal, Arcade Fire and Amanda Palmer along with many others, she also creates all of her own artwork, photography and videos for each release, including a beautiful and powerful video for the song Plankton, which gained many plaudits and was accompanied by a fascinating essay explaining the origins of both the song and the

video. Her evident skill with language is more than matched by her ability to pair it with beautiful melodies to create stunning, timeless songs, the meaning of which is very much left to the listener.

After tempting audiences with the acoustic collection Or Else The Light, which saw her win fans at BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 (including Lauren Laverne) and Radio X, Reverieme is currently building towards the release of her sophomore studio album.

Heading up the collection is a working of Venus produced with Stuart Macleod, which was first heard in a stripped back to the bones working on Or Else The Light. Venus showcases the depth of Reverieme’s lyrical intelligence and emotional honesty. A reflective but determined song, it epitomises the intensity of Reverieme’s craft – an artist who will not only engage with her enchanting melodies, but will also provoke thought.

This is such a beautiful and sensitive song. If it's not the vocals that get you, the music and wonderful production surely will. It's one of those songs that stops me from doing anything else, just to listen.

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Baskerville Jones - So Right (From The Forthcoming EP Mile 1)

Baskerville Jones - So Right.

Background bio - Born in Nashville, Tennessee, soul-singing Baskerville Jones left her hometown and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical aspirations.  She began gaining attention doing background vocals for prominent artists and touring and performing with seven-member ensemble The Rebirth, all the while forming musical partnerships that landed her on stage and screen nationally and internationally.

In 2012 she was featured on the single "Born to Flow" from Morehouse Records recording artist Groove Junkies, which made the Top 20 on Soulful House Music Charts. As a lead vocalist of the soul, jazz & funk fusion band The Rebirth, Baskerville's vocal contributions are interwoven in the band's sophomore album "Being Thru the Eyes of a Child." Their single "This is Coming To?" landed in the top 5 of UK Soul Charts, which kicked off the success overseas of the album.

Over time, she has acquired a slew of credits, thanks to her work with an eclectic mix of artists on stage and in the studio such as R&B artists Heather Headley and Chrisette Michelle, gospel artists Dottie Peoples & Richard Smallwood, international acts Arman Hovhannisyan and Harout Balyan.  In 2012, she had the honor of performing with one of her major musical influences, Sly Stone of the pioneering 70's funk ensemble, Sly and the Family Stone.  Among Stone, Baskerville counts Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Yolanda Adams, even the folk and country of her Music City roots among her immediate influences.  Her voice evokes the pure soulful roots of early rock n' roll as well as the smooth sounds of R&B.

After more than a decade of singing to support projects of her friends and colleagues, her first solo project, the Mile 1 EP, is a vehicle to acquaint her audience with the artistry that truly is Baskerville Jones.  This stripped, lyric driven introduction shows her range and versatility as a singer and depth as a solo artist – a softer, sweeter departure from the funky homage that is her band The Rebirth.  Baskerville Jones' EP Mile 1 is slated for release May 3, 2016.

'So Right' is the second of five songs on the EP (there are an additional two instrumental versions also included in the release), this is the lead single. This is one really fine EP. It's drifts from soul to folk numbers, not to mention some beautiful blues influences. Musically she is supported by some top musicians, there's Matt Rohde, Darrell Crooks, Adam Hawley, Jonathan Jackson, Jr, whose CV's read like a whose who of music, in terms of who they have worked with. This is class all the way.

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Quality Not Quantity: Jessica Rotter - Em George - Hannah Lou Clark

Jessica Rotter - Pray For Rain.

Background words - Jessica Rotter is able to transcend creative boundaries and defy what's expected of a modern female musician. The songstress' voice has been heard across multiple genres, from movies, TV shows and commercials to backing vocals and collaborations with other artists—all in addition to her original songs. The list of artists she has worked with reads like a who's who of the music industry today: Daft Punk, Carole King, Alicia Keys, Sam Smith, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and others.

Rotter's family roots are steeped in music, with her grandfather writing songs for Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. With this background, Rotter describes herself as a "musical storyteller" with classical training from Pepperdine University in opera, musical theatre, and directing for theatre and film. She is just as comfortable using her voice in a major feature film (credits include Pitch Perfect 1 & 2 and Frozen) as she is performing one of her original songs live.

Following the success of charting #1 on HypeMachine with her mashup of Stay/Animal with Emily Colombier, Rotter is embarking on her most powerful and ambitious project to date; the full length release of Plains. Produced by Cazz Brindis and mixed by Scott M. Smith (Carole King, John Mayer, Katy Perry), the 11 track record is breathtakingly stunning and cinematic. Most uniquely, Plains is organically raw with the listener being able to hear breath in every track, a rarity in today's over produced musical landscape.

In the album's leading single "Pray for Rain", Rotter poignantly describes wrestling with falling in love in "uncertain times, lost times and times of revelation." On the track "Stars", you can clearly hear Rotter's past of free spirited travels and musical influences of early 60s folk and Americana. "Let Me Go" is a well-crafted, catchy and emotional pop tune expressing the restless moments found in relationships. Plains will be released April 22nd. 

'Pray For Rain' explains very clearly why Jessica Rotter has worked with so many top artists. Her vocal abilities are quite special and this song really showcases that. Musically thing get better still, with the excellent production, heightened more, as music and vocals weave around each other.

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Em George - The Grind.

Background promo - Following on from three successful singles, with one (“Murderers On The Inside”) being optioned by HBO and remixed by LA based producer Stephen Kozmeniuk (Madonna, Kayne West) comes Em George’s fourth release “The Grind” which is the first single from her debut EP.

Produced by Ryan Miller (Oliver Tank, The Delta Riggs, Magic Bones) and Matt O’Connor at The A&R Department (Harts, Magic Bones), it features stripped back production, raw vocals and resonating, wistful lyrics. It’s an exciting release for this innovative artist.

This first release from her debut EP follows on from her third single, “Paper Hearts” in 2015. It spent two weeks in the AMRAP Metro and Regional charts reaching number three. It was also featured in The Music Network alongside artists such as C.W Stoneking. It was released to radio in United States receiving airplay in New York, Texas and California.

After playing at various live venues around Sydney such as Venue 505, The Vanguard, Oxford Art Factory, Brighton Up Bar, Bondi Bowling Club, FBi Social and The Sly Fox, Em George has built up a unique live performance style that is all her own, forging a path in the live music scene. “The Grind” by Em George will be released 4th of March 2016.

'The Grind' allows Em George to demonstrate her vocal talent, with this passionately delivered song. The contrast between her singing and the delightfully stripped back, acoustic background is excellent. This deserves to be heard.

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Hannah Lou Clark - It's Your Love.

Background promo - Hannah Lou Clark has announced a brand new EP Its Your Love, due for release 22nd April on her own label Quatre Femmes Records via PIAS.

Extensive touring around the release of debut EP Silent Type, gave a fresh perspective on certain things in Hannah's life. Its Your Love was written over this touring period and sees Hannah experiment further sonically with interesting sounds and textures and vintage drum machines. Winning a Rhythm Ace on Ebay, became the musical catalyst for the EP as well as the time previously spent collaborating with artists such as Rob Ellis (Torres, Anna Calvi, PJ Harvey) and Deb Goodge (My Bloody Valentine) .The completion of this EP marked the end of a life chapter, and the beginning of a new one.

Hannah said of the EP - "Sometimes in life it feels as though people are holding a gun to your head, and you have to suck it up and get on with it. I wanted the music to replicate that repetitive feeling of frustration. This whole EP is really about that realisation, in three chapters."

Its Your Love offers an artist in full command of her voice and her instrument, a woman who knows exactly what she wants to offer listeners and who isn’t afraid to cover sunlight with clouds. The title track sees the protagonist trapped inside a small wooden drum machine, and driven mad by the Bossa nova.

Hannah has announced her first UK headline tour, the news follows stunning headline shows at St. Pancras Church and Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room and support tours with the likes of Ezra Furman, Thurston Moore and Gaz Coombes including an incredible Roundhouse 'In The Round' show. With more festivals in both the UK & Europe to be announced soon this year is set to be an exciting one for HLC

April Headline Dates:
Thu 21 Apr 2016 UK Birmingham Sunflower Lounge
Fri 22 Apr 2016 UK Manchester The Eagle Inn
Sat 23 Apr 2016 UK Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire, The Big Discovery
Sun 24 Apr 2016 UK Glasgow Broadcast
Mon 25 Apr 2016 UK Bristol The Louisiana
Tue 26 Apr 2016 UK Brighton Prince Albert
Wed 27 Apr 2016 UK London The Victoria
Festivals:
Sat 19 March London Roundhouse Rising
Fri 29 Apr Leicester Handmade Festival
Sat 30 Apr Live At Leeds.

The opening 'drum machine' beats had me expecting something quite different, from the powerful and superb 'It's Your Love'. It's no nonsense delivery and intense vocals makes for one potent and pleasing song.

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Alternative Take: Kauf - Juke Jaxon

Kauf - Through The Yard.

Background promo - If you've ever needed a soundtrack to your existential crisis, Kauf has made exactly that.  Who hasn't pondered the existence of God or the meaning of life while going full throttle on the dance floor at Berghain? Kauf has achieved the nearly impossible feat of making music rooted in a dance aesthetic but that is also lyrically deep.  There just aren't that many records out there that could work in a club and also touch on emotional conflicts with your family and society at large.

The project of Ronald Kaufman, Kauf took shape after moving back to his birthplace of Los Angeles.  He self-released his first single in 2011 - "Relocate" b/w "When You're Out," which quickly found its way into the hands of Dan Whitford of Cut Copy who released the "As Much Again" EP on his own Cutters Records.

After the dissolution of his early experimental rock bands spurned the dive into electronic production and synth collecting, he is equal parts studio rat psychedelia obsessive and art-pop traditionalist.  The rhythms, informed mostly by slowed down disco, support simple, emotive chord progressions with a melancholic bent.  Dense layering, his own echo-laden vocals, and a penchant for distorted, imperfect sounds create the dominant motif, where the words sometimes ring out as if emerging
from a barely remembered dream.  

2016 will see the release of his debut full-length LP, Regrowth. The response to the EP was overwhelmingly positive, with press support from NPR, XLR8R, SPIN, KCRW, etc. Kauf was tapped to remix the likes of Poliça, The Big Pink and Public Service Broadcasting, and has toured and performed with the likes of Cut Copy, Maribou State and many more.

His forthcoming Regrowth LP mostly explores the small fractures within his closest relationships. They are the kind that have long been there, but were either willfully ignored or conveniently missed, like a tiny crack in the windshield that slowly creeps across, but eventually demands you take notice and make the repair before it shatters completely.  There is the realization that a relationship with an ex-boyfriend was entirely superficial ("A Ruin") and truly understanding why you're in love ("Through the Yard").  Complicated family issues are the focus on "Turning," "Key to Life" and "Pacify".

As the first single and last track on the forthcoming album, 'Through The Yard' certainly raises my interest in the album. There is an emotional feel throughout the song, the vocals, the intense beats and haunting melody, makes for a very fine track.

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Juke Jaxon - Memory Man.

Background promo - It’s not every day that you come across Indie Soul…

Meeting on the London underground in summer of 2014, Jack Moore and Ben Hawthorne discovered a mutual interest for classic British sounds and the 60’s Motown greats. Then, like many others before, took to bedroom song writing before emerging as Juke Jaxon, now ready to demonstrate their re-imagining of this elusive genre.

Musically the band’s début single ‘Memory Man’ wears its influences clearly on its sleeve, evoking classic elements with an electrifying crunch and soulful swagger. Think Alex Turner a la Last Shadow Puppets with vocal spice from James Blake thrown in and an added touch of Jamie Woon - you’ll see what sort of ballpark we are in here.

‘Memory Man' has the sound that lashes out whilst masking tears. Melodically aggressive; Lyrically sensitive. The song tries to embrace you with one arm, but punches you, winding you, with the other.

Juke Jaxon are fresh from their inaugural sell-out London show in early February, their début single ‘Memory Man’ will be in all the usual places Friday 26th February 2016. Keep an eye on this one…"

This very well may be Indie Soul, however I'm not so sure it needs to much hype and alternative genre placing to get noticed. OK so in today's crowded music market place anything positive helps, so let's just say whatever the genre and influences, this is one very cool song.

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